


A New Life

by darkartifices



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, The Wicked Powers Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: BABY CARSTAIRS, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Reunions, and it gets kinda spicy??, i fell into a black hole of reunion fics and now here we are, kit loves his family, post qoaad, qoaad spoilers, they kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-29 13:38:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17204369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkartifices/pseuds/darkartifices
Summary: Kit thought moving to Devon would help him forget a certain Blackthorn with gray eyes and black hair.Needless to say, he was wrong.(or, kitty ft. baby carstairs)COMPLETED (12/31)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I haven't written a Kitty fic in two years, but after finishing qoaad, I knew I had to write a reunion fic. It's in Kit's POV, simply because I wanted to explore more of his new life (hence the title) plus the Carstairs baby, so I hope you enjoy it! (will be posting remaining chapters daily)  
> My Tumblr is @lord-of-shadows if you would like to check it out there or leave any feedback. Thank you!

In the first few months after Kit moved to Devon, it was no surprise that he had a difficult time settling into his new life.

After all, he had been sheltered and hidden from the outside his entire childhood, and then suddenly everything he had ever known about himself had been completely redefined for him during the past summer, so no one could really blame him. He was still having trouble believing that he did, in fact, have faerie blood in him (he had just gotten to accept that he was a Shadowhunter, and now _this_ happens?) and was a descendant of the First Heir (he apparently had some power which awoke during the battle against the Riders, but Kit couldn’t seem to summon it again despite how many times Tessa tried training him). To sum it up, the entire past year was overwhelming for him, so a few days after they arrived in Devon, Tessa and Jem agreed to try to make his life as completely normal as possible (keyword: _try_ ). This lead to them going to town and purchasing a computer, video games, and even comics at Tessa’s demand ( _There is power in words,_ she had claimed), and even though Kit had never been much of a reader, he knew he would feel guilty if he had refused her.

So here he was, resting against the smooth walls of the tiny pebbled cove, knees bent with the latest _Spiderman_ comic before him. He was halfway through, but his focus on the words and pictures kept fleeting, as he found himself gazing at the waves crashing against the sand, the bright orange and red colors of the evening sun reflecting on the water, and the few tourists enjoying their evening on the sandy beach, posture relaxed as if they had not a care in the world.

Long ago, Kit thought that one day, he would also be living a calm, normal life: spending weekends at the pier and exploring the never-ending maze of Los Angeles, with the only major worry being a final exam coming up in school or college. He scoffed. Now, he could hardly do anything, as his time was spent catching up on everything he missed by not being a Shadowhunter the first fifteen years of his life, with the addition of magic training as well since he now had faerie blood, too. Plus, Tessa and Jem were overly protective of him, like his dad was. It was almost like his childhood again, minus the shady business and strange creatures that the Shadow Market brought. His dad had always kept Kit hidden, prevented him from witnessing the cons he committed. Kit never understood why—until now, of course.

The image of his dad being ripped apart in front of him flashed in his mind, and before he could dwell on it, Kit stood, his feet carrying him outside the cave, a sudden urge to breathe in fresh, ocean air overtaking him. He felt dizzy for having stood so quickly, and he leaned against the cave wall in order to remain upright. He had been over his father’s death for quite some time now, but that didn’t mean the memory would ever go away.

Tessa and Jem both expressed concern and extended helping hands whenever he needed it; they knew the truth of what happened to his mother, Rosemary Herondale, but Kit had not asked for details just yet. Regardless, Tessa always gave him the best advice, and Kit suspected that was due to the fact that she had raised and taken care of many children already, particularly Herondales. Tessa and Jem were both enjoyable to be around, but whenever Jem wasn’t training him or Tessa tutoring him, they were busy with their own affairs, causing Kit to wish he had friends here. Except the issue was there weren’t many Shadowhunters around in Devon as the town itself was quite small, and they lived in a secluded area away from the public (Kit assumed it was because of secrecy reasons), so unless he was visiting the shopping centers or the beach, he hardly saw other people (and it was not like Tessa and Jem let him out of their eyesight that often anyway). He understood their reasoning to keep him safe, and Kit was used to having no friends for the majority of his life anyway, so he wasn’t that angry—it was just that after becoming close with the Blackthorns (or, well, one Blackthorn in particular), Kit felt as if something was squeezing his chest, making it hurt every time he thought of them. He missed them, excruciatingly so, but he pushed it aside—he knew he would not be missed (except by Emma, who continued to stay in contact, but Kit suspected it was just because of the whole Carstairs-owe-Herondales thing), and the one person who he wanted to be with the most hated him, so there was really no point in focusing on the past any longer. He came here to hopefully clear his mind and start anew and to forget all that had transpired that day in Alicante—he needed to forget, and so far he had been doing a stellar job at keeping his mind busy. However, on the weekends, if Tessa and Jem had nothing planned for him, he found himself drawn to the beach, as if he could close his eyes and when they reopened, he would find himself back in Los Angeles, where he could turn around and see black hair blowing in the wind and icy, gray eyes focused on the tide.

He cursed. Not a day passed where he didn’t think of Ty, but the overwhelming feeling that usually accompanied his name was slowly dissipating as Tessa’s due date grew closer and closer. The excitement of being a bigger role model to someone was drowning everything else, and even though he wasn’t officially adopted by Tessa and Jem, the thought of their child being his little sister sent a bursting feeling of joy throughout his body he had never experienced before. He wondered if this was what Julian felt thinking about his younger siblings. There was only a month left before Tessa’s due date, and Kit couldn’t wait to finally hold the new addition to their family in his arms.

Caught up in his thoughts, Kit didn’t notice that the sun was close to sinking below the horizon, and he knew at any minute Tessa was going to call to tell him to head back. So, he straightened up and tucked the _Spiderman_ comic back in his hoodie pocket, and with one last look at the sunset, turned around and made his way back to what he now called _home_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit's little sister is born, and things change. Also featuring a conversation with everyone's favorite horror-loving Shadowhunter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here! Thank you guys so much for the lovely comments on Chapter 1. It warms my heart that people are actually excited about this, haha. :)  
> My Tumblr is @lord-of-shadows if you want to check it out there or leave feedback. Hope you enjoy!

Cordelia Ke Carstairs was now in her crib, soundly asleep, a miracle considering the week-old could hardly go a minute without fussing or crying. Tessa explained to Kit that this was a process all newborn babies went through, but that didn’t prevent the dark bags underneath her and Jem’s eyes, the lack of sleep evident ever since their baby was born.

Kit tried to help make it easier for them—he watched over Cordelia whenever they needed a break, rocked her to sleep, and bounced her whenever she grew fussy. When Tessa gave birth a week prior, the second Kit laid eyes on his new little sister, he knew he would do everything in his power to keep her safe and cared for. It was a strange feeling, an unconditional love he never knew he could muster. The newborn’s presence pulled the small family closer together, and Kit slowly found himself comfortable and even happy in his new life, something he never thought would happen.

Kit returned to his room, a small space with old, vintage wallpaper that was previously a guest room, but now had touches of personal items scattered throughout: a shelf on the wall with stacks of various superhero comics, a desk with a computer and a Playstation hooked to it, and an Iron Man action figure near the edge of his bedside table. He did not have many things to call his own, but he did appreciate Tessa and Jem’s effort to change this.

Before he could get ready for bed, however, a knock was heard on his door, and Kit opened it to find Jem standing in the hallway, a smile on his face and phone still in his hand as if he just had gotten off a call with someone.

“Emma called,” he said, and Kit noted a touch of fondness in his voice. “She asked about Cordelia and said that she and Julian will be visiting us in two days.”

Kit’s eyes widened, a smile forming on his face. “That’s awesome! She always asks me to send pictures of her. That’s great that they were able to fit it in their travel schedule.” Kit hid the hint of disappointment in his voice that only Julian was coming with her—but then again, it was probably for the best, since Kit wouldn’t know how to react if the other Blackthorns had joined along as well.

His heart was beating wildly all of a sudden, but Jem didn’t seem to notice; instead, he had begun to explain what Emma told him about their travel plan, but then suddenly paused.

“Oh, forgive me, I nearly forgot. Emma told me to give you this.” He handed Kit a sticky note, and on it was a number scribbled in Jem’s handwriting, as if it was hastily written down. Above it was a name: DRU.

“It is Drusilla’s number. Emma said she wanted to speak with you.” Kit looked up from the sticky note and found Jem looking at him with concern. “Of course, you do not have to call. It is understandable if you need more time to adjust.”

Kit felt a warm feeling spreading inside of him—is this how it felt to have a parent figure, someone who genuinely cared? “Tell Emma I said thanks,” Kit said, looking at Jem with a grateful smile. “I think—I think I’m ready.”

Jem straightened. “Oh! That’s great news, Chris–Sorry, Kit. I will leave you be, then. Don’t worry about watching over Cordelia tonight, Tessa and I can handle it.” Kit nodded, waiting until Jem had walked away to the room at the end of the hallway—Cordelia’s nursery—before closing the door. He was starting to breathe heavily now, letting his feet guide him to the edge of his bed before he sat down and regained his composure. _It’s just Dru,_ he told himself, although he knew Dru well enough to know she did not forgive and forget easily. But then again, Jem _did_ say that Dru was the one who wanted to speak with him, and she wouldn’t just ask to talk to him just to yell at him, right?

Okay, maybe she _would_.  

He had always been the type of person to run away from responsibilities and his feelings. As a kid, he was constantly lying, deceiving, and on the move—as Johnny Rook’s son, he found himself in plenty of sticky situations. And, true to being Johnny Rook’s son, he ran and did whatever he could to avoid confronting what was in front of him.

He could build an excuse for himself and say that the reason why he didn’t return to Los Angeles was because of his newfound identity and that Tessa and Jem were the only ones who could protect him, but that didn’t help the guilt in his chest, covering the true reason why he left.

Shaking his head, Kit picked up his phone—he refused to run away this time—and mustering as much courage as he could, dialed Dru’s number.

“Hello?” He heard Dru’s voice, a hint of exhaustion coating it, after the second ring, and in the background, Tavvy was asking, “Who is it?” and Dru was responding with, “It looks like an international number. Jules, probably?”

Kit inhaled. _It’s now or never._ “It’s me, Kit.”

A pause, then a gasp. “Kit!” Dru exclaimed. “By the Angel, did you know it’s early morning over here? I can hardly stay awake. We’re having breakfast right now: me, Tavvy, Helen, and Aline.” Kit was about to open his mouth to respond— _where’s Ty?—_ but Dru cut him off. “Oh, forget it. I can’t believe you actually called! Don’t think I’m not angry at you for leaving without saying goodbye, but Emma said it was because of something important, so I believe her. Besides, when you come back, I’m expecting you to teach me more crime stuff as an apology, got it?”

Kit was so relieved that she wasn’t angry, it took him a moment to respond—but he did notice that they seemed to not know of the First Heir thing, which Kit was secretly grateful. He didn’t want them to think of him differently because of it. “Uh, huh, right. You got it. All the crime stuff.” He then realized he was smiling; it felt nice finally having a friend near his age to talk to. Tessa and Jem were both over 100 years old, and, well, Cordelia wasn’t even close to talking yet. “So, uh, how’s it been?”

“Everything is so much better now that we don’t have a war on our doorstep.” He could hear the smile in Dru’s voice, and Kit realized with a pang that Ty was right—they didn’t need him. “Helen and Aline are thinking of adopting, Emma and Jules are visiting so many cool places, Mark and Cristina are helping Alec as ambassadors to Faerie, and I’m leaving for the new Shadowhunter Academy in New York pretty soon.” He heard her take a bite of her food, of Helen in the background talking to Tavvy—everything did seem less hectic without all of the Blackthorns—“Oh, and Ty left for the Scholomance a few months ago.”

If Kit was drinking water at that moment, he was sure he would’ve spit it out _everywhere_. “ _The Scholomance?_ ” He asked incredulously. “Isn’t that place full of Cohort assholes? What happened that changed his mind?”

“Yeah, the Scholomance.” Kit could hear an edge in Dru’s tone, and he stiffened, mind reeling back to assess what wrong thing he said. “It’s not full of Cohort assholes anymore, they’re all in Alicante, remember? And Ty’s always wanted to go. The only thing stopping him before was Livvy.” Her voice softened at the end when she mentioned Livvy, but the edge still remained. “And to answer your question, Kit, it was you. You left, and Ty didn’t know what to do, so Magnus recommended going to the Scholomance. So he did. And before you ask, because I know you are, he’s doing great. Sends me pictures of all the animals he finds every day. Top of his class already.”

 _Of course,_ Kit thought. _Of course he was_. He felt a pang of guilt hit through him still; Ty didn’t know what to do without him? But didn’t he say he was nothing to him? After all, the last memory Kit had of Ty was him laughing at the shore with Livvy’s ghost. He had everything he needed. At least Dru said he was doing well; he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if Ty had been miserable. The thought of Ty attracting every quirky animal and finally being able to express his intelligence and intuition enveloped Kit in an overwhelming feeling that caught his breath and sent his heart racing. He had thought being away from Ty would cause these feelings to disappear, and for a second, he believed they had—but Kit realized that they were always there, just pushed far, far away in his mind due to other things taking more importance.

He tried to calm his breathing again, blurting, “I’m sorry.”

“Are you?”

“Yes! Yes, Dru, I’m sorry for not saying goodbye, I was just—I didn’t know what else to do.”

He could hear Dru sigh, and he realized that it was quiet in the background—Dru had moved away to a quieter place some time ago, and he hadn’t noticed. “I don’t know what exactly is going on, but I hope you know we missed you. Whatever it is, I’m sure Tessa and Jem have it handled.”

“I missed you too,” is all he said. He didn’t know what else to say.

Fortunately, Aline’s voice could be heard, calling for Dru. She sighed again, this time with a trace of exasperation. “Gotta go train. Tell Tessa and Jem I said hey! And give Cordelia a big kiss for me!” She paused. “Oh, and Kit, keep in touch, okay? I don’t want you leaving again. See ya!” Before he could agree and say bye, however, she hung up, and Kit laid there on his bed, unsure of what to think.  

 _Ty_. At the _Scholomance_. He’s going to be a _Centurion._

He just hoped that the people there accepted him for who he was and that it wasn’t difficult for Ty to make new friends. Dru was right, the douches that were there before are gone now, so if anything, Ty should be fine.

Several months ago, if Ty had been without him, Kit would have felt crushed—they were Sherlock and Watson, always together, and Kit had felt an overwhelming desire to be a part of whatever Ty was doing, even if it _was_ dark magic and necromancy. But now, knowing that Ty was doing well at the Scholomance—well, Kit was proud, even if they weren’t together.

Hearing Cordelia’s crying coming from the hallway, Kit stood and made his way to the nursery, feeling a smile creeping up on his face. When his little sister was born, he felt an urge to take care of her like nothing else he’s ever felt, and now that he had the reassurance that Ty was doing what he always wanted, Kit was ready to let go and focus on living his new life here, in Devon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years later, events from the past start to repeat itself.  
> (featuring Kit's love for Cordelia and wholesome family moments)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the nice comments so far! One more chapter left to go. Hope you enjoy this one!  
> Read on Tumblr: @lord-of-shadows. Feedback is appreciated!

The cold wind was blowing in Kit’s face as he held Cordelia in his arms, walking up the familiar path to their quaint home at the top of the hill. He and Cordelia had just gotten back from Kit’s friend’s house, who also had a little sister two years older than Cordelia, but Kit deemed Cordelia (who was two) old enough to play with her. Kit met Trisha the summer after his sister was born when he was out on an emergency store run late at night (Tessa had run out of diapers for Cordelia, and unlike Magnus, she refused to magically steal more). As he exited the gas station, Kit noticed a night-clad figure following the mundane girl, and he instantly glamoured himself. Before the mysterious man could make a move on the girl, Kit had knocked him out—he admitted, he may have used _too_ much force for a mundane, but it had been so long since he last experienced fighting crime; he had a love-hate relationship with how it always sent a feeling of adrenaline and exhilaration through his bones. The girl thanked him, but true to Devon’s residents, she immediately began to question him as to why she has never seen him before ( _everyone_ knew each other and their dog in this town). Then, after realizing that Kit was new and didn’t know that many people, she invited him to hang out with her friends that weekend, which Kit, at first, did not know how to react, but Jem and Tessa encouraged him to make new friends, and so he did, and after that, he became close friends with the other Devon residents around his age.

Kit realized that despite knowing a lot about his new friends, they didn’t know much about him, except the little story he curated: He was from America—Los Angeles, to be in fact (to which they always ask him about Hollywood and celebrities), and his parents had died in a car crash a few years ago (true that his parents died, but he couldn’t necessarily tell them it was because of faeries and demons), and so his British aunt and uncle adopted him (this was believable, since Tessa and Jem did have London accents, and they didn’t _legally_ adopt Kit, but it was close enough), and now they ended up here, in the small town of Devon.

They always extended their condolences, but Kit found that the memory of his father didn’t hurt as much like before, and even though Tessa and Jem told him the truth about his mother, he used his grief to fuel his training, although he still couldn’t access that electric white light he unleashed while fighting the Riders of Mannan. The power had vanished as quickly as it appeared, and no matter the amount of training he did with Tessa or sometimes even Magnus, he couldn’t unlock it again.

Hopefully, he thought, he never had to. Though he was loathed to admit, it _was_ pretty cool.

Cordelia was playing with his sleeve, babbling excitement about the Christmas lights Trisha’s family had already strung up on their house; even though Christmas was a mundane holiday, Tessa and Jem thought it would be a nice family tradition for them to partake in the gift-giving and spirit of it, and Kit recalled that Tessa had told him to return home early since they were planning to set up their decorations that day. It wasn’t like Kit could forget, with Cordelia mentioning it every two seconds.

Cordelia’s happiness filled Kit with child-like joy—he never did celebrate Christmas, his father deeming it a waste of time and believing there was no such thing as the spirit of Christmas since everyone in the Shadow Market was miserable anyway, but he was glad that Tessa and Jem found the holiday worthwhile. He wanted the best childhood for Cordelia, different than the one he had so that when she looked back as an adult, she would be filled with memories of fondness and love, not loneliness and death.

He entered the house, drawing an _Open_ rune on the door, feeling the wards opening and closing all around him—and was met with Jem leaning against the counter and Tessa sitting on the couch, hunched over with a pen in her hand, small frowns on their faces, stress evident in their postures.

“I know Christmas decorating is no easy feat,” Kit said, a furrow between his eyebrows as he set down Cordelia on the floor, who proceeded to run straight to Jem. “But why the tense shoulders?”

Jem bent down to pick her up, the stress alleviating slightly, and let out a long sigh before sitting next to Tessa on the couch, and as Kit got closer, he realized she seemed to be focused on writing a letter to someone.

“Here,” Jem said, picking up a folded paper from the coffee table, handing it to Kit. “Read this.”

Kit sat in the armchair across from him, opened the letter, and began to read:

_To Tessa Gray,_

_I apologize for reaching out to you on such short notice, but there has been strange activity concerning dark magic occurring around the ley lines here in Los Angeles. When Emma and Julian were on patrol yesterday, they noticed that a blight similar to the one a few years ago was taking over the land once again, but this time, it seemed to be spreading at a much faster rate than before. We have contacted the Unseelie King, and he claims it is affecting the Faerie lands as well. He tried to contact the Seelie Queen, but no response has yet been obtained. We contacted Magnus; there does not seem to be a warlock sickness again, but he says that a similar blight is appearing in New York too. We request your help immediately in investigating this issue, as we are not sure how much time we have left. We await your arrival._

_Aline Penhallow, Head of Los Angeles Institute_

“It’s happening again?" Kit said incredulously, glancing at Tessa. She was finished with her letter, folding it neatly before releasing it, the embers floating away with the unseen wind.

She nodded. “I have my suspicions on what may have occurred,” she said, her hand reaching up unconsciously to rub the sleeplessness from her eyes, “But it will be beneficial if I could see it myself.” She turned to Jem, who was looking at her with worried eyes. “The letter I sent was to Catarina Loss, to see if she has any insight on this occurrence, as she is more knowledgeable with this type of magic. I know she is teaching at the Scholomance though, so she may not be able to help.”

At the mention of the Scholomance, Kit tensed, but Tessa and Jem did not seem to notice, caught in their own wordless conversation. He wondered if this is how he seemed like with Ty in the past.

 _Enough._ It’s been three years, and yet, he _still_ couldn’t stop thinking of him.

 _Dark magic_ , Aline had said in her letter. Kit shivered, his memory going back to that night in Alicante. He finally did tell the truth to Jem and Tessa about why he ran away but never told them _what_ exactly he and Ty were doing—he knew there was no way they knew what happened, but sometimes, he felt that Tessa could easily see past through his lies.

Jem looked at him, concern still written on his face. “Christopher, Tessa and I have decided to leave to the Los Angeles Institute tomorrow. But don’t worry,” He added, seeing the panicked expression on Kit’s face, “We will not force you to come with us. The problem is we are not sure how long we will be gone, so we will be bringing Cordelia. Helen and Aline can take care of her while we are away.” Kit knew Helen and Aline had adopted a faerie girl around Cordelia’s age from the excessive amount of photos Dru and Emma sent him—Nene, Kit believed they named her, after Helen and Mark’s faerie aunt—and something in the back of his mind thought it was a good idea for Cordelia to be around more kids her age, but Kit felt fear rise in him from being separated from his little sister. He could hear Tessa saying that it was okay if he wanted to stay since they trusted him well enough, and if anything _did_ happen, he had the ability to summon them immediately with the little trinket they had given him.

“Also,” He heard Jem say quietly, “Tiberius will not be returning from the Scholomance until a few days before Christmas. I assure you, we will be back home by then.”

“I’ll go,” Kit decided, straightening in his chair. He could bear seeing Dru and Emma; besides, Emma made sure to visit them each May for Cordelia’s birthday, so it wouldn’t be much of a problem. Dru would be another hurdle, but Kit was sure he could handle it since they often texted each other and talked on the phone. But Ty? That was a whole other story—he hadn’t seen or communicated with the other boy in _years_. _And yet, the thought of him still makes your heart race._ Kit inhaled. He wasn’t sure what would happen if he saw the other boy again.

And he didn’t know if he wanted to find out.

“Great!” Tessa said, clapping her hands together. “Then it’s settled. We will leave tomorrow night, so we can arrive in Los Angeles by the afternoon.” _Right._ Kit almost forgot about the ten-hour time zone difference. It was a pain when texting Emma and Dru. “I will go ahead and pack Cordelia’s things. You best get packing as well, Kit.”

“But Christmas lights?” Cordelia asked, thumb in her mouth, words sounding more like babbles, but Tessa managed to understand her anyway.

“How could I forget?” Tessa feigned shock. “How about you and Papa go set them up, and Kit and I will join you later?”

“Yay!” Cordelia cheered, crawling out of Jem’s embrace and grabbing his hand, Jem shooting Tessa a helpless—and panicked—smile before being whisked away outside.

Kit laughed silently, but his mind wasn’t paying attention to his sister’s antics, as it was currently consumed by thoughts of Los Angeles—he was going to be in the Institute’s winding halls again, going to witness the loud breakfasts and vibrant beaches and laugh with the others again—

 _Except Ty wasn’t going to be there_ , his mind added. He should feel grateful, and he was, but he could feel disappointment creep up in him, and he knew he couldn’t deny the truth, that he wanted to see Ty again.

Kit felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to find that Tessa had moved over to him, a caring look on her face as if she had a motherly instinct that something was wrong. Kit let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Christopher,” Tessa said gently, using his real name, one that she only reserved for when she was being serious with him. “I know this will be difficult to face. But trust me, they will be excited to see you again. You _are_ missed.” She cupped his cheek, and Kit leaned into it, a warmth rushing over him—an extremely young memory of his own mother doing this to him flashed in his mind, of her holding Kit close and singing softly when he couldn’t sleep. His head hurt. “If at any point you feel overwhelmed, let me know, and I will send you back home.” Kit nodded. Suddenly, they heard a crashing noise—Tessa’s eyes widened as she pulled back, her fingers sparkling—before Jem opened the door, calling in the midst of Cordelia’s hysterical laughter: “Everything is okay! Just got—” Sounds of struggle could be heard. “Just got tangled in some lights—” The door shut abruptly, and Kit and Tessa looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

Her hand covered her mouth, and Kit’s cheeks began to hurt. “Oh, by the Angel. Forget packing. Go help Jem and Cordelia instead. It seems as if Christmas decorations are too much those poor souls.” Kit could hear Tessa mumble as she walked away, a smile evident in her voice, “Whatever will I do with them…”

He held back a laugh, shaking his head as he got up, pushing back thoughts of Los Angeles. He’ll worry about that when the time comes tomorrow. Right now, it seemed like there was trouble right in their front yard, chorused by Jem’s playful yells and Cordelia’s bubbly laughter. With a grin on his face, he joined the chaos outside.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit returns to the Los Angeles Institute. An unexpected visitor suddenly shows up.
> 
> (or, the moment we've all been waiting for - the reunion. warning: it gets a little spicy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so astonished at how much positive feedback this got and all the hits/Kudos! Thank you so much for reading, it really does mean a lot to me. :)  
> Hope you enjoy this last chapter! Definitely expect some more Kitty fics from me soon, especially since we have to wait until 2022 for TWP (how am I even going to SURVIVE).
> 
> My Tumblr is @lord-of-shadows if you would like to check it out there or leave any feedback! Once again, thank you! Happy New Year!

When Kit arrived in the Los Angeles Institute through the Portal, the first thing he recognized was the familiar feeling of the black and white marble underneath him, and his breath almost caught at how much he forgot how beautiful the inside was. Then, when he was back to his senses, he noticed the crowd of people that had gathered—Helen and Julian were greeting Tessa, Emma was hugging Jem, Tavvy and Nene were already running off with Cordelia in tow—Aline’s _“Get back here!”_ heard in the background—and Dru had come to stand before him with her arms bent on her waist and one eyebrow raised. Kit realized how much she had changed since they last saw each other; she was a little taller and carried herself with more confidence now, but she was still the same Dru—and suddenly, he was enveloped into a tight hug, released only after it felt as if he had been squeezed to death.

“I’m still mad at you,” she said with a smile, holding up a finger and moving it around. “You promised me something, remember?”

Kit vaguely recalled agreeing to teach her more crime stuff when they met again, and he let out a shaky laugh. “Don’t worry. I’ve composed an entire list of what to teach you next.”

She brightened at that, and Kit was then greeted by Emma— _"_ _The boy who mysteriously disappeared has returned!"_ she had exclaimed—and Julian, who clasped him on the shoulder, nodding at him, saying, “Glad you’re back, Kit.”

Helen and Aline greeted him as well, but they didn’t really know him that well—the only person here he really knew was Dru, who was standing next to him as they listened to Emma and Julian recount what they saw on patrol.

“There’s an increase in demonic activity around the regions where the blight has spread. It’s strange, though,” Julian said confusingly, “These demons don’t attack unless threatened. They seem to be…” He hesitated, then looked at Kit. “Searching for something. Or someone,” he added. Kit tensed.

Tessa frowned, moving to put a hand on Kit’s shoulder, a protective gesture. “Could you and Emma guide us to the where the ley line is? Jem and I would like to begin investigating this issue as quickly as possible.”

Emma nodded, sharing a knowing look with Tessa. “Of course. Cristina and Mark are on their way to give us any updates from Kieran. It’s suspicious how the Queen hasn’t responded, though.” There was a glint of anger in her eye. “I never did like her.”

Julian put a reassuring hand on her back. He scrunched his nose. "Neither did I. Let’s get going, then.” They walked past Kit towards the entrance, Tessa turning to follow them, and Jem approached Kit, his hand resting on his arm as he spoke in a low voice: “Are you alright, Christopher?”

Kit shot him a weak smile. “Yeah, I think I’m good.”

“If anything happens—”

“I know, I know,” he shot Jem a smile, the one that Jem always said reminded him of his _parabatai_ (Will, Kit recalled his name was—he had met the ghost several times, bent over Cordelia’s crib at night, his soft voice singing Welsh lullabies to help her fall back asleep). “Grab the baby and run." Jem opened his mouth, about to protest, but Kit threw up his hands. "Kidding! I’ll be fine, Jem. Tessa is waiting for you.” He was right, Tessa was waiting by the doors, a sad smile on her face as if she was remembering someone.

Jem shook his head, face mirroring Tessa’s, and he let Kit’s hand fall as he joined her by the door.

Once they heard the door close, Dru turned to Kit, a confused expression on her face. “That’s weird. What was that for?”

“What?” Kit asked, still shaken by what Julian said.

“The whole—” She noticed the look on Kit’s face, then shook her head. “Nevermind. Let’s go to the training room.” There was a wicked look in her eye. “Let’s see if you’ve really gotten better since you’ve been gone.”

Soon enough, Kit found himself back in the training room—he was surprised that he remembered all of the twists and turns to get there, could close his eyes and let his feet guide him to familiar places in the Institute. He was doing target practice with Dru, both of them consistently getting bullseyes, while also keeping a watchful eye over Cordelia and Nene playing with a paintbrush set—Julian’s, perhaps—in the corner. He was currently telling Dru about Devon and the friends he’s made—he thought she would like Trisha, since the girl had the same interests as Dru—and Dru would pipe in with her own tales from the Shadowhunter Academy in New York, and how she’s made a group of friends, most notably a girl named Thais.

She was telling him about an incident that happened when Simon was a guest speaker that left Kit doubling over with laughter, causing him to miss the center of the target just slightly, and Dru was laughing at his aghast expression, pointing a finger at him, shouting, “Ha! I win!”

Kit was about to make a remark on how technically she _didn’t_ win since she cheated, but before he could get the words out, they heard commotion coming from the other end of the Institute.

They both looked at each other, and Dru shrugged. “Maybe it’s Cristina and Mark?”

“We can go check it out.” Dru nodded and turned to call Nene and Cordelia over. Kit turned to face Cordelia, then flinched—she had gotten blue paint all over herself, marking her cheeks like a barbarian going into battle. Oh, he was going to have a _great_ time explaining that to Tessa later.

They headed towards the entrance, Dru handing Nene and Cordelia off to Tavvy, who looked upset to have to take care of the kids— _"_ _Hey, that was my job when I was your age, so deal with it,"_ Dru had said—and when they reached the grand entryway, they found Helen and Aline already there, obscuring their view as to who arrived.

They turned around, Helen with a bright smile on her face, and Kit didn’t even need for them to move aside to know who was towering behind them.

“Ty!” Dru exclaimed, and she ran forward and spread her arms as if asking permission for an embrace. Surprisingly, Ty accepted it, hair falling over his eyes as he bent down to rest his head on Dru’s shoulder. Kit stood there, shock paralyzing his body. Everything seemed to stop.

It was _Ty._

And he had gotten _really_ tall.

“I thought you weren’t coming for another two weeks! What happened?” Dru’s voice echoed in his ears, but he wasn’t paying attention—he was staring at the back of Ty’s head, at the way his body moved with the grace that it always carried.

“Classes ended early,” Kit stiffened at the sound of his voice. It was more mature and deeper if that was even possible—it made his heart race faster, his breathing uneven. “Institutes were calling for the help of warlocks. They decided to end the semester early so we could help investigate the issue as well.”

“Huh, that’s weird,” Dru said, pulling away. “Tessa and Jem arrived today. Emma and Jules just left to show them the ley lines.”

“Tessa and Jem are here?” Ty finally raised his head, but before he could spot him, Kit had vanished, and he was running away, like he always did, although he didn’t know where, exactly—until a cool breeze hit his face, and he was looking out in the distance at the lights on the water, the waves crashing against the shore.

His feet carried him to the rooftop, the very place where he and Ty had escaped to three years ago whenever everything was too overwhelming for them as if it was their secret, hidden cove. Their safe haven. He found himself sitting at the edge again, legs dangling underneath him, fingers gripping the smooth stone of the brick as he tried to calm his breathing and will his heart to slow down.

At the sound of Ty’s voice, it felt as if everything he kept buried the past three years suddenly shot back up again, and it left a painful feeling in his chest that Kit had tried so hard to ignore. Memories flashed through him, from Ty holding a knife to his neck and Kit’s traitorous mind thinking _How beautiful_ , to holding Ty on the rooftop, to Livvy’s death, to doing everything in his power to keep Ty from slipping away from him, which turned out futile because he ended up losing him anyway, ended up running away because Ty didn’t care for him, _he never did—_

Hands on his shoulders knocked him out of his thoughts, and Kit was about to recoil, but then he heard words being whispered over and over in that soothing, deep voice: _whisper, cloud, secret, highway, hurricane, mirror, castle, thorns._

“Blackthorns,” Kit whispered, and looked up at Ty’s face.

Emotions he had locked in a dark vault deep in his heart exploded in him, and he noticed how Ty’s face had gotten sharper, the shape of his body and curve of his lips and gray eyes and dark eyelashes rendering Kit breathless—his black hair had grown, falling over his eyes, and Kit almost laughed, remembering when Ty had told him he needed a haircut, and now _Ty_ was the one who was in desperate need of one, but it didn’t matter, because right now, Kit was wondering how it felt to run his hands through his hair, to feel the silk strands between his fingertips.

Ty was older, more elegant, strikingly beautiful, and _handsome_.

Kit felt his stomach flip as it did all those years ago. He almost forgot how it felt like.

“Can I sit next to you?” Ty was looking at his hands on Kit’s shoulders, and Kit realized he must feel uncomfortable touching him, and then he realized how awkward it was that Kit was staring at him, eyes wide and mouth agape.

He shut his mouth, turning his head around, and managed to choke out, “Y–yeah, of course.”

He saw Ty sit next to him from the edge of his peripheral and watched how his hands began to flutter on his lap, gaze focused on the waves. At least some things haven’t changed, Kit thought.

“Fifty months, two weeks, and four days,” Ty said.

Kit blinked, looking back at Ty. “What?”

“How long it’s been since you left without saying goodbye.” Ty was looking at Kit now, at the area underneath his eye which betrayed the dark circles that had formed due to Cordelia not being able to sleep well at night as of late.

Kit inhaled. “I’m sorry.”

“Why did you leave?” Ty didn’t sound angry, just confused. Kit almost let out a breath of relief—he was so sure the other boy would be mad at him, and he was ready to take the blow. He deserved it, Kit knew. It would’ve been better if Ty was yelling at him, instead of speaking to him in that calm, gentle voice that always sent his heart racing.

His mind scrambled for what to say. “I was scared. After what happened, I–I thought you hated me, so I ran because I thought I wasn’t needed. I thought you didn’t care.”

“I don’t hate you,” Ty said levelly. Kit could tell he was assessing the situation, thinking of the right words to say—he was a Centurion now, as the uniform he wore depicted, but Ty didn’t need a uniform to show that—it was there in his actions, in his observant, investigative gaze. “And I do care.”

“No,” Kit whispered under his breath, his heart loud in his ears. “Not like that.”

“You said you wished you never met me.” Ty didn’t seem to hear him, saying the statement matter-of-factly, as if it was the truth.

Kit immediately blurted, “No!” He took a deep breath. “Ty, I didn’t mean it. Knowing you—it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“Julian told me once that people said things they didn’t mean because of their emotions.” Ty’s eyebrows were furrowed as if Kit was a puzzle he was trying to solve. “Is that true?”

 _Curse Julian,_ Kit thought. Instead, he stammered, “I–I guess?” Ty was close to him now, so close that Kit could feel his gentle breathing on his skin, could easily reach out in front of him and comb back his hair. His heart was pounding, his breaths coming out short—how did Ty manage to look so composed? It had been so long since he was this close to the other boy, and Kit suddenly felt afraid, as if he didn’t trust his ability to control himself—

“What kind of emotions?”

Kit didn’t know if Ty was tricking him, interrogating him, or just genuinely curious, but he found that he didn’t care since the words that were trapped in him for so long came spilling out.

“At the lake, I told you that I loved you, and you didn’t react—which I feel dumb now thinking about it, because I shouldn’t have expected you to respond, but it still hurt—” Kit squeezed his eyes closed, not wanting to see Ty’s expression. “And I couldn’t stop thinking about how you said I was nothing to you, because Ty, you were _everything_ to me, and I tried so, so hard, but damn it _,_ _you still are—_ ”

Suddenly, he felt something against his lips, and his eyes shot open to see Ty’s face, inches away, his eyes closed and lashes fluttering. He felt his entire body burn, fire spreading through this skin, his mind screaming— _Was this really happening?_ —and before he could register it, Ty had pulled back, a pale blush flushing his cheeks—Kit thought it was cute.

“Was that—was that okay?” Ty’s eyes were darting away from his face, his breathing heavy, and Kit struggled to fight the urge to pull him in again.

“It was,” he said breathlessly, “Perfect. You’re perfect, Ty.”

He knew it was cheesy, but the blush on Ty’s face grew stronger, and Ty seemed astonished at the claim. Kit wanted to hold him close, to reassure him that he was beautiful and absolutely amazing and extremely intelligent, too. He wanted to hold him close and never let him go. “But, if you don’t mind me asking,” Kit breathed, “Why did you do that?”

“Someone at the Scholomance told me that if you liked someone and they liked you back, then you should kiss them.” Ty looked at him worryingly, shyness creeping up his features. “Is that not what you’re supposed to do?”

Kit let out a laugh. “Only if you do it again.”

And before Kit could let in another breath, Ty had pulled him close and connected their lips once again, and this time, Kit responded, his hands immediately flying to Ty’s waist.

Ty tensed, and Kit was ready to pull back, an apology on his lips, but Ty held him where he was. “Touch me,” he said, voice low and stormy gray eyes staring intensely at Kit’s. Kit nodded, a sharp intake of breath due to the eye contact, and, a bit dazed, he drew Ty in, one hand circling his back and the other moving up his arm. Kit could feel the muscle underneath—Ty had most definitely gotten stronger since they last met—and he was reminded that despite having such a delicate, fragile, and beautiful frame, Ty was a Shadowhunter through and through, groomed to fight.

Ty’s hands began to hesitantly roam his body, and for a second Kit felt like his fifteen-year-old self again, wanting to impress Ty at the Shadow Market—except now, he was eighteen, and he wanted to impress Ty at how muscular he’s gotten, at how much his body has improved in the past three years. Kit tangled his hands in Ty’s hair, pulling him onto his lap and drawing the boy closer to him, relishing in the way Ty gasped against his mouth. They were both painfully inexperienced, but it didn’t matter—Kit was tightly grasping onto him, lips moving feverishly against his, afraid that if he let go, Ty would slip away from him forever.

Ty broke away, catching his breath. He was looking at Kit through his eyelashes, an unknown battle flickering in his eyes, his fingers dancing wildly on Kit’s shoulders. “Are you going to leave again?” He whispered, forehead resting against Kit’s.

 _Fire_ , Kit thought, throat dry at how Ty’s eyes seemed to smolder. _You are playing with fire._ He could feel his heart break. _Aren’t you?_ he wanted to say, since he suspected Ty had to return to the Scholomance soon, and Kit would have to wait forever to see him again, and the thoughts in his mind were in chaos, but he knew one thing for sure, and that was he didn’t want to be separated from Ty again. He opened his mouth, ready to tell Ty so, but a high-pitched voice cut him off before he could utter a word.

_“Kit-Kat!”_

They immediately broke apart, Ty panickingly moving some distance away from Kit, and Kit turned to find Cordelia running towards him, but something in Kit noticed that her balance wasn’t that developed yet, and as if on instinct, he rapidly turned back onto the rooftop, arms reaching out to catch her before she could fall, and he was on his knees, hugging her close to his chest, trying to catch his breath—he was vaguely aware that he should chastise her for running so carelessly, but the relief in his body was so overwhelming, and Cordelia was starting to cry anyway, so he kept repeating to her that _she was safe, she was safe_.

Kit felt Ty kneel next to him, and he extended a closed hand out to Cordelia, whose crying had now stopped, replaced by gentle sniffs. She took his hand, small fingers still stained with blue paint, and Ty opened it to reveal a piece of chocolate in its wrapper. Cordelia squealed.

“You know, she's not supposed to have chocolate,” Kit said, voice surprisingly calm given the number of things that had just happened, the number of thoughts and emotions colliding in his head.

Ty looked at him and smiled— _really_ smiled. “You’re never too young for chocolate.”

Kit reciprocated the smile, and it hit him with a pang how much it felt like old times. Kit turned away to face Cordelia, clicking his tongue. “DeeDee, I know you’re ready to be a Shadowhunter and all, but you can’t fall off rooftops _just_ yet. You still got a decade to go, buddy.”

“Sorry,” she said, sounding more like “sowwy” since she couldn’t fully pronounce R’s yet. Either way, it didn’t really sound like she was since she _did_ get some chocolate out of it.

“See, told you the chocolate was a bad idea,” Kit said, shaking his head.

Ty just shrugged. “One piece of chocolate never hurt anyone. Her name is Cordelia, right?”

“Yeah,” Kit ruffled her hair, which earned him a little “Hey!”. “I call her DeeDee. She _always_ manages to find herself in trouble.” Kit remembered the fiasco with the Christmas lights that happened just yesterday, and he smiled. “This is no different.”

Kit could see that Ty was still smiling—if it was even possible, it made him _more_ beautiful.

“I like him, Kit-Kat,” Cordelia said, licking the chocolate from her fingers. Kit felt a surge of pride in him. It was important to have the little sister’s approval, he thought. Not that Ty was his boyfriend or anything.

_Was he?_

“Thank you, DeeDee,” Ty said, turning to Kit. “I see she calls you Kit-Kat,” he inquired jokingly.

Kit rolled his eyes. “It’s so frustrating! She saw the candy at the grocery store and wouldn’t stop calling me it since. Jem thought it was because she wanted the chocolate bar, so he bought an entire pack for her—and she was extremely excited about that, but it turns out it was just her new nickname for me.”

Ty laughed—Kit let the sound fill his ears and wondered if Ty smiled and laughed more often now, or if those were just reserved for him. He wanted to know how his life was at the Scholomance, if he had discovered any cool things or found new animals, but as he opened his mouth to ask, voices drifted up from the entrance.

Kit’s eyes widened, but Cordelia beat him to it. “Mama! Papa!” She got up, but Kit made sure to grab her hand this time as they stood.

“They are back,” Ty said, straightening, and Kit noticed how Ty was now a head taller than him—he had to tilt his head up to see the other boy’s face. Kit could feel his heart beat faster because of the fact.

“Right,” he said, composing himself. “You should go say hello to Emma and Julian.”

“Are you not coming?”

“I need a moment,” Kit said, and he saw Ty’s eyes flicker behind him, understanding flashing on his face. Kit kneeled down so he was eye-level with Cordelia. “Follow Ty, okay? Don’t get lost. I don’t know if I even _want_ to know how you managed to find your way up here in the first place.”

“Dru showed me!” She exclaimed. Kit blinked. _Dru?_ But before he could inquire more, Ty had grabbed her hand—she made no protest to this, which was rare, since Cordelia didn’t let anyone touch her that easily—and they both went back inside, the door shutting softly behind them.

Kit let out a long exhale, then turned to where Livvy’s ghost was perched in the shadows. “Livvy,” he breathed. “Long time no see.”

“Herondale.” Livvy smiled, the light not quite reaching her Blackthorn-green eyes, her brown hair laid out behind her, contrasted against the white of her dress—the way it was at her funeral, Kit remembered. Her necklace shone. “I see you have progressed a lot.”

Kit frowned. That was a strange way of putting it. “Yeah, I guess. Tessa and Jem aren’t exactly the most lenient of trainers.”

“But not with your magic.” Livvy drifted closer to him. "It is not enough.”

“Yeah, I still can't manage to control it yet—wait, what do you mean 'not enough?'"

There was a small frown on her lips, a crease between her eyebrows. It had been so long since Kit last saw her as a ghost, he had forgotten how despite looking the same, she carried a different demeanor around her—one more cold and sorrowful. “I fear the repercussion of what happened three years ago is finally taking effect.” She looked at his face, worry evident in her eyes. “I cannot find it in my heart to tell Ty, but now that you are back—take care of him. Do not run as you did before. He needs you now more than ever.”

“What do you mean? What’s going to happen?” Kit stumbled towards her. “Livvy!” He exclaimed just as she vanished, and the view of the Pacific encompassed his vision instead. He cursed.

The sun was already low in the sky, and Kit was mildly aware that he should return inside before Tessa got worried, but he was suddenly thrown back to the first few months in Devon, where he would find himself always attracted to the beach, dreaming of the Los Angeles shore.

It suddenly hit him that he _was_ back, back in the city where he grew up in, where his entire life had changed—he loved living in Devon and in the comfort of his little family, but as he turned around and walked towards the door leading back into the Institute, Kit realized one thing:

Los Angeles would _always_ be his home. And he was glad to be back.


End file.
